RSK director joins Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals board
RSK Director Warren Percival has joined the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) board as a sustainability non-executive director with a specific focus on the institute’s strategic plan and operations. He will also chair its Policy and Practice Committee.
Setting the global benchmark in sustainability
ISEP is the global membership body for anyone wanting to deliver change for a sustainable future. Its members set the global benchmark in sustainability and environmental practice. ISEP networks around the world influence government policies, driving best practice across business, advancing careers and nurturing talent.
Warren said that being appointed to the board for the next three years was strongly aligned with his passion for continuing to drive standards and his goal of helping to strengthen ISEP’s operational strategy as part of its continued growth following its successful rebrand from the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).
Supporting ISEP’s commitment to professional standards
He said: “I felt that this role was a natural fit for me, as I have been involved with ISEP for many years. It is one of our industry’s most important professional bodies focused on the environment and sustainability disciplines. I wanted to support the continued membership drive and ISEP’s commitment to professional standards and growth. I have been involved in developing RSK’s corporate partnership with ISEP since 2018 and have been a strong advocate for collaborating with it as a leading voice in sustainability.
“It was also crucial to me personally to give something back to the sustainability and environmental community that I am part of. As a strategic goal for myself, and as I approached the end of my eight-year term at the UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA), I was looking for a new challenge that would also benefit from my skills gained at both UKELA and RSK Group. I wanted to focus my energies on something that would offer me a new challenge both professionally and personally and that was linked to my own continuing professional development as a Fellow of ISEP.”
Shaping government policy on sustainability
Warren said that he intended to use his new ISEP role to support the institute’s work in the sector and to help shape government policy through its committees and member engagement, driving growth in key markets and enhancing the member base globally.
The Policy and Practice Committee that Warren will chair serves as a crucial link between the ISEP board and the steering groups engaged in policy and practice activities, to whom it provides strategic oversight.
Warren added: “This important group ensures relevancy for other steering groups within ISEP and advises the wider board on developments and progress, including areas of policy for both members and government. I will be picking up the baton from Professor Simon Pollard, who has chaired this committee for the past few years. I am grateful for his contribution.”
Driving professional development
Warren said that his message to anyone considering joining the institute would be that ISEP helps to authentically demonstrate credibility and drive professional development and continues to link professional and personal growth for a positive societal impact. “For many of us in sustainability and environmental roles, ISEP is the main professional standards body that helps to amplify our collective message for positive change.
“At RSK, I am supported by a group head of profession for our sector, David Hoare. Together we drive initiatives, such as our mentoring scheme, to elevate RSK colleagues’ profiles and career progression. ISEP membership is a real asset in this work, assuring greater recognition of the professional standards that we all seek to achieve to continue to make a positive impact in the world.”
ISEP Board chair Shamir Ghumra said: “I am incredibly pleased that we have been able to bring such high calibre individuals to the ISEP board. Their appointments will strengthen the board team as we build on our strategy and digital systems for the years ahead. The diversity of thought we now have at the board is enviable, and we will be able to better serve ISEP and our members as a result.”
